WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The former chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, who earlier this year ended negotiations to head the pharmaceutical industry's top lobby after critics questioned the ethics of the move, has now accepted the post, the group said on Wednesday.

Rep. W. J. "Billy" Tauzin, a Louisiana Republican, announced in February that he would step down as committee chairman and leave Congress because of a bleeding ulcer.

Democrats criticized him for considering the high-profile post leading the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which lobbies Congress on behalf of drug companies, while he was still chairman of the committee that regulates the drug industry.

He ended negotiations with the group, saying controversy over the possible move was a distraction. The issue had threatened to create headaches for Tauzin's Republican party in this year's election campaign, which featured a fierce debate over the price of prescription medication.

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